Switch-throwing device.



UNITED STATES Patented June 27, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HALF TO JAMES L. EWVENS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWlTCH-THROWING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,481, dated June 27, 1905.

Application filed December 9, 1904. Serial No. 236.218.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. WARD. a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch- .lln-owing Devices, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in switclrthrowing devices, and more particularly to that type of device which is employed for throwing a switch-tongue from a car or vehicle which is about to pass over the same.

The object of this invention is to provide a novel form of switch-throwing device which can be easily and quickly operated by the motorman of a street-car without leaving the car, and to accomplish this I have devised a mechanism which is adapted to be located adjacent to a switch-tongue and operated by a motorman of a street-car.

Briefly described, my improved switchthrowing device comprises, in connection with a switch-tongue, a casing located adjacent to said switch-tongue, and in this casing I mount a revoluble segment-shaped block which is connected to the switch-tongue. The cars are provided with spring-pressed rods which are normally held in a raised position, and to throw the switch-tongue the motorman depresses one of the rods and retains it in this position until said rod engages the segmentsh apcd block or piece and partially rotates the same to throw the switch-tongue in the desired position.

The above construction, together with the details entering into the same, will be hereinafter more fully described and then specifically pointed out in the claim, and referring to the drawings accompanying this application like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a car, illustrating my improved switch-throwing device. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a switch, illustrating the casing in loneasily and quickly gitudinal section and showing a car about to approach said switch. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a casing employed in connection with a switch-tongue. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the casing, and Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the casing with the lid or cover thereof removed.

In the accompanying drawings the main tracks of a street-car system are designated by the reference-numerals 1 1, and tracks 2 2 are illustrated as intersecting the main tracks.

The reference-numeral 3 designates a pivoted switch-tongue which controls the direction of the cars moving over the tracks.

The casing A of my improved device is preferably positioned within the tracks adjacent to the switch-tongue, and this casing is provided with a lid or cover 5, while the one side of the casing is slotted, as indicated at 6. The bottom 7 of the casing is formed with a bearing-sleeve 8, in which is mounted a block 9, that extends upwardly through an opening 10 formed in the lid or cover, and the upper end of this block is enlarged, as indicated at 11, and provided with a segment-shaped piece 12. The block 9 is provided with a radial-extending arm 13, to which is pivotally connected a rod 14, said rod extending through the slot 6 of the casing and is pivotally connected to the switch-tongue, as indicated at 15.

The street-car is designated by the referencenumeral 16, and that portion of my improved device which is mounted upon each end of a street-car comprises two rods 17 and 17 having enlarged heads 18 18. These rods are preferably mounted in the platforms of the street-car in such a position that they may be operated by a motorman. Each rod is mounted in a socket 19, carried by the platform of the car, and each socket is provided with a lid or cover 20, which s adapted to retain a coiled spring 21 within the socket 19. One of these springs surrounds each rod, and they are adapted to normally hold said rods in an elevated position.

Operation: By referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the position of the switch is such that the car will pass onto the siding-tracks 2 2, and should it be desired to continue on the main tracks 1 1 the motorman depresses the head 18 of the rod 17, compressing the spring 21 and lowering the rod 17 whereby it will engage with the beveled face 22 of the segment-shaped piece 12 and will partly rotate the block 9 until the switch-tongue has been moved over to permit the flange of the street-car wheel to pass between said tongue and the main rail 1. This is accomplished through the medium of the rod 1 1 and the radial arm12 of the block. Upon the motormanreleasing the rod 17 it is returned to its normal position by the spring 21. Should the next car desire to pass onto the siding-tracks, the rod 17 is depressed, which, as the platform travels over the block 9, will engage the beveled face 23 of the segment-shaped piece 12 and return the switchtongue to the position illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

It will be observed that my improved switchthrowing device can be easily and quickly rotated when it is desired to assure a positive throwing of the switch-tongue in either direction, and while I have herein shown the preferred manner of constructing my improved switch-throwing device it is obvious that various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the general spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

The combination with a railway-track, and siding-track, of a pivoted switch-tongue, a casing located between the tracks, the bottom of said casing being formed with a bearingsleeve, a circular rotary block having an enlarged upper end formed with a segmentshaped piece having two beveled ends, a rod connected to said rotary block within said casing and connected to said switch-tongue, a car and a plurality of vertically-movable spring-pressed rods carried by the car and adapted when depressed to each contact with one of the beveled ends of said segment-shaped piece to turn the-block and thereby throw the switch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J .VVARD. I Witnesses:

W. C. HEITZ, K. H. BURTEN. 

